Adoção de Automação Robótica de Processos (RPA) no Atendimento a Usuários de uma Instituição Federal de Ensino Superior

Abstract

This research investigates the implementation of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in undergraduate student services at a federal higher education institution through the development of an interactive chatbot. The study employs a qualitative methodology, analyzing both secondary data (accesses and interactions) and primary data (UEQ+ Questionnaire for user experience evaluation), identifying automatable internal processes within a Pedagogical Support Unit (UAP). Utilizing the Dialogflow Essentials platform, the project integrates process diagrams and service blueprints to create a conversational agent that addresses frequent academic queries on the unit's website, with its validation occurring over two versions of student testing. Following feedback from the first version, which highlighted opportunities for improving agent language, interactions, and the need for new communication channels, the interactive chatbot was refined and made available on the Telegram platform. The results demonstrate significant improvements in access time and the average number of completed accesses (efficiency), as well as in users' general perceptions of the agent, particularly regarding response behavior (effectiveness). The originality lies in the practical application and evaluation of RPA within the Brazilian public educational context. Its relevance is manifested in the optimization of administrative processes and the enhancement of service delivery. The practical contributions are tangible, freeing up civil servants for strategic activities and improving user experience (organizational and societal impact). Potentially, this work contributes to scientific knowledge on automation in the public sector.